New one-year only double portrait released to celebrate The Queen and Prince Philip’s 70 years of marriage

On the 20th November, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and HRH the Duke of Edinburgh will celebrate their Platinum Wedding Anniversary – that’s an incredible 70 years of marriage and a first in British royal history.

The Platinum Wedding Anniversary Five Pound Proof Coin

In honour of the occasion a new coin has been issued – featuring a specially commissioned one-year-only double portrait.

The coin has been officially approved by both Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Philip, and proudly displays their initials surrounded by a design inspired by the North Rose Window of Westminster Abbey – where their wedding took place in 1947.

But it is the new double portrait that will turn heads and have collectors rushing to secure theirs. Designed by renowned sculptor Luigi Badia, it features both The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh and will only ever be seen on Platinum Wedding Anniversary Coins.

It’s not very often that one-year-only portraits are released, not to mention a double portrait. They really are only issued for the most important Royal anniversaries.

New one-year-only obverse design

As you’ll appreciate, designing a new effigy is not a simple process, with an extremely rigorous approval procedure.

That’s why special portraits such as this are few and far between and are so popular with collectors.

Luigi, from New York, explains the concept behind the design:

“I was extremely honored to be commissioned to sculpt a brand new portrait to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh’s 70th wedding anniversary. I was inspired to use a contemporary image of the royal couple to capture both their achievement of reaching such a milestone and to reflect on the long life they have shared together.”

The design process…

The design is intricately engraved onto the die

Careful consideration has to be put into the shape and size of the coin. Luigi painstakingly hand-engraved the design – with the added complication of retaining the typesetting within the circular shape.

The finalised ‘plaster’ engraving is then ready to be reduced down into a die (shown opposite) – which is hardened and used to mint the commemorative coins collectors can own.

Struck to a variety of specifications…

The new coin is to be struck in a range of different specifications, from a face value version right up to a staggering 10oz platinum edition – which has already sold out.

And the other coins are likely to prove just as popular – with a highly collectable proof coin, a pure silver coin, and a 5oz gold coin amongst those available, there is something to suit everyone.

These coins really do make a fitting tribute to Her Majesty and Prince Philip’s 70 years of marriage, and the stunning double portrait marks them out as truly prestigious commemoratives to forever remember this once-in-a-lifetime celebration.

The Platinum Wedding Five Pound Proof Coin

If you are interested…

You can mark the occasion by adding the PlatinumWedding Anniversary Proof £5 Coin to your collection today. It’s limited to just 4,950 worldwide and a sell-out is expected, especially as it features the new one-year-only double portrait.